

Great news for users of the best Android phones and best iPhones comes courtesy of WhatsApp, which has just confirmed that its long-promised Communities feature is now rolling out to all users of those handsets.
As confirmed on the official WhatsApp blog, Communities is designed for private groups – think clubs, schools and other reasonably sized communities – to communicate more easily, and it features a selection of tools for making announcements and sharing important information.
It's a powerful feature, with support for sub-groups so you can have groups within larger groups so you can have different messaging for different sections. Communications are also encrypted so your discussions can't be intercepted by others, and there are some fun tools such as emoji reactions and easy file sharing of files up to 2GB.
The new features are rolling out from today, and there are also some improvements for those of us who won't be using Communities too.
New features to make WhatsApp group chats better
Meta has also announced that it's introducing Polls, which it describes as "a fun and effective way to make decisions in a group without spamming everyone in the chat". And you can now have video chats with up to 32 people at once.
WhatsApp has also upped the maximum size of groups: you can now have 1024 users, and you'll have access to the same improved file sharing and admin deletion tools as Communities admins.
The new features are available for iPhones and Android phones and should be rolling out imminently: I don't see the updated app in the Apple App Store just yet but it should appear shortly.
Sign up to the T3 newsletter for smarter living straight to your inbox
Get all the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products from the T3 experts
Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).
-
When’s the best time to take creatine?
The science-backed supplement is a must for building strength and muscle, but is there an optimal time to take it?
By Bryony Firth-Bernard Published
-
Arcam pushes important performance upgrades to a huge selection of devices
Arcam delivers updates to its AV receivers and some Hi-Fi components too
By Carrie Marshall Published
-
New evidence suggests Apple's taking its foldable iPhone seriously
And it might bring something different to the party too
By Britta O'Boyle Published
-
iOS 19's new design leaks straight after WWDC 25 announcement
This could be a significant change
By Sam Cross Published
-
EU paves the way for iPhones and Android devices to ditch USB-C entirely
Clarification enables Apple, Samsung and others to switch to wireless charging only
By Rik Henderson Published
-
Apple's first foldable could come with an unexpected feature, claims expert
If it ends up being true, we'd be absolutely fine with it.
By Britta O'Boyle Published
-
Google's Pixel 9a does one simple thing that could tempt me away from iPhones after a decade
Google's played a blinder here
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
Apple could have two Studio Displays in the pipeline, but there's mystery behind the second
The great Apple monitor mystery – is Apple making two Studio Displays or something even bigger?
By Carrie Marshall Published
-
Your iPhone tipped to get a seismic upgrade with iOS 19 – the biggest in many years
It's said to be the most significant overhaul in over a decade
By Sam Cross Published
-
Google Maps design update finally comes to iPhone after Android owners have enjoyed it for months
It should make one-handed use much easier
By Britta O'Boyle Published